Russian hackers ramp up attacks on Ukrainian authorities investigating war crimes
The objective appears to be to identify war crime suspects.
Russian hackers are reportedly intensifying their cyberattacks on Ukraine’s law enforcement agencies, focusing on uncovering information related to investigations of war crimes allegedly committed by Russian soldiers.
According to an SSSCIP report, the Russian objective appears to be to identify war crime suspects, potentially aiding them in evading prosecution and facilitating their return to Russia. Additionally, the hackers are likely keen to ascertain the identities of elite soldiers and officers captured in Ukraine for possible exchange.
Ukrainian cybersecurity officials have voiced concerns over these espionage campaigns, which have targeted entities such as the prosecutor general’s office, courts, and other bodies investigating war crimes.
In a development that may be related, Karim Khan, the lead prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC), announced that the court intends to investigate cyberattacks as possible acts of war crimes. Russia’s cyber assaults on Ukraine’s essential civilian infrastructure could be some of the initial instances under this new interpretation.
Not long after this announcement, the ICC decided to establish a field office in Kyiv in charge of investigating Russian war crimes. The ICC then reported a breach of its computer systems without divulging further details regarding the severity or attribution of the attack.
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